When Starfield was released in 2023 as one of the most anticipated titles, there were some criticisms of the ambitious sci-fi game. In an interview, former Bethesda developer Nate Purkeypile, who was involved in the development of Starfield, addresses a particularly significant weakness highlighted by the community.
What weakness is being discussed? The point of criticism is the sheer number of loading screens that repeatedly disrupt players’ immersion. Numerous threads have been created on various channels since the game’s release where players vent their frustrations, such as on Reddit.
In particular, the city of Neon is frequently mentioned, where loading interruptions seem to lurk around every corner. Whether opening a door, entering an elevator, or teleporting from one quest to another, loading screens are always present.
This design choice is critically questioned by many in the community, as the vastness of the space world doesn’t feel “real” in this manner, even though the loading times are quite short (via Reddit).
It is also noted that the placement of loading times often makes little sense from the players’ perspective, as one could, for example, often fly up the same distance outside of buildings with a jetpack that requires a loading screen for the elevator (see Reddit).
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Starfield Reveals Its First Story Expansion Shattered Space in Launch Trailer
“I was surprised that there were so many of them.”
What does the former developer say about this? In a recent interview with VideoGamer, former Bethesda developer Nate Purkeypile, who was involved in Starfield until 2021, expressed surprise at the number of loading screens in the finished game. He also addressed the community’s criticism, particularly regarding the city of Neon:
It could have existed without these [loading zones]. Some of them weren’t there when I was working on it, so I was surprised that there were so many of them.
A main reason for the introduction of so many loading times was performance. The Creation Engine, on which Starfield is built, has certain weaknesses that would otherwise impair the gaming experience. Therefore, many things were disabled, and large areas were divided into more segments to improve overall performance.
He also refers to the transit system around the city of New Atlantis, which is also accompanied by many loading screens as soon as it is entered: “For me, New Atlantis is just about not having to sit through the entire train ride there.”
New Bufffood in World of Warcraft finally fulfills the gamer dream – but it comes with a significant downside.
The Patch 11.1 Undermine(d) in World of Warcraft will kick off the second season of The War Within. This not only brings a new raid and fresh dungeons, but also a whole bunch of new foods. Finally, the gamer’s favorite dish arrives in the game world – pizza. It is stronger than any other Bufffood but comes with a big drawback.
Currently, there’s action on the Siren Island before heading to Lorenhall:
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Siren Island – The New Content in WoW Patch 11.0.7
What kind of Bufffood is this? In Lorenhall, you can get the “Pocket Pizza”. This grants you a large amount of your best secondary stat – but it’s so greasy that it’s bad for your health and reduces your movement speed by 5%.
However, the pizza can only be used in the open world of Khaz Algar and in the depths – not in raids or dungeons.
Why does it only work outside? This likely has a simple reason: to prevent dungeons and raids from being negatively affected by characters slowing down in order to gain just a bit more performance.
Presumably, Blizzard wants to avoid unpleasant situations in raids and dungeons, where players might resort to the excuse that they had to stand in the fire because they wouldn’t have been able to get out anyway due to the slowing effect. That would have meant even more stress for healers – and they already have little to laugh about in The War Within.
Are there any other Bufffoods? Yes, in Patch 11.1 there are more innovations from the culinary aspect. Because in addition to the pizza with a slowing effect, there is also a new dish that has the opposite effect. The drink “Impotent Potable” gives you a 10% bonus to movement speed – but currently only in Lorenhall.
The YouTuber and streamer NefasQS explains at the beginning of the year why all platforms related to ESO University have been shut down and why there will be no more content from him about Elder Scrolls Online.
Who is NefasQS? The well-known YouTuber and streamer goes by the name Caspar and has been producing videos primarily about MMORPGs for several years, with his roots in Elder Scrolls Online. This is evident from several factors:
Over all the time, NefasQS claims to have produced more than 1,000 videos on the topic of ESO (via YouTube). He has been playing since the beta in 2013 and has set various world records in raid and arena achievements over the past decade.
NefasQS was the driving force behind the “ESO University” project (via esouni.com), which has been providing interested parties with guides, tools, and information about the MMORPG for years.
With Vitality, the hardmode stream team, and Council of Raiders, he has established various other community projects for the ESO cosmos.
He was one of ten selected players from the community who could provide direct feedback to the developers regarding classes and combat.
It is not surprising that NefasQS has been part of the official “ESO Stream Team” since 2020.
With Update 44, there was a complete overhaul of the battlegrounds PvP in ESO:
Start video
Elder Scrolls Online: Conquer the Battlegrounds – Trailer introduces the highlight of Update 44
What has NefasQS announced? In his first video for 2025, the YouTuber explained that he will no longer be producing content about Elder Scrolls Online in the future. He also wants to have nothing to do with the MMORPG as a private gamer from now on.
This decision naturally has direct implications for ESO University, the associated Discord server, the Patreon campaign of ESOU, and the podcast: everything has already been discontinued and taken offline. Caspar has also not been part of the “ESO Stream Team” since December 2024.
Bye, bye – Tamriel!
What is the reason for the drastic departure from ESO? To answer this very question, NefasQS took more than 42 minutes. Anyone who wants to know everything in detail should check on YouTube.
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Below is the still quite long summary of the main points:
In 2022, a group that is said to have connections to alt-right movements initiated a coordinated hate campaign on Twitch and Discord. The victims were members of NefasQS’s guild and community as well as the YouTuber himself. Several other affected streamers even withdrew from the community due to the constant attacks.
ZeniMax’s initial reaction was said to be “frustrating,” as it apparently seemed to be evaluated as simple “PvP drama.” It seems that something only happened from the official side when the hate campaign expanded to other areas. Later, there was supposedly even a phone apology from the officials because they hadn’t taken the reports seriously at first.
Shortly after these incidents, Update 35, one of the worst content patches in ESO’s history, was announced. For NefasQS, many of the combat adjustments were nonsensical, too extreme, and poorly timed (too soon after the introduction of the new raid). Many players are said to have lost confidence that the developers knew what they were doing and how to improve ESO.
When the update landed on the test server, the player experience was so bad that NefasQS’s community project Vitality, which until then had more than 300 raid leaders, collapsed in a very short time: 185 raid leaders announced their departure from ESO almost immediately because they had no hope left for the MMORPG.
When NefasQS released a video titled “The Worst MMO Update Ever” about the update, he was criticized by a community manager from ZeniMax for not being constructive and fair in the video. One should not report so emotionally about the game. Whether the criticism is justified, you better make up your own mind on YouTube.
At this time, the stress from working with ESO is said to have first negatively impacted NefasQS’s health, resulting in shingles.
In 2023, NefasQS increasingly felt like just the “token Asian” in the official “ESO Stream Team.” While other members often received very quick and positive reactions to inquiries, his experiences were often quite different.
There were repeatedly ideas to involve ZeniMax staff (not just developers) in the podcast or in community raids, or to hold an ESO stream during certain events. According to NefasQS, there was no serious engagement with these proposals.
Instead, there were apparently increasingly frequent attempts from the “ESO Stream Team” to exert influence over podcast guests, video content, or Discord moderation (e.g.: user XY should be banned).
In 2024, several major events related to ESO were on the agenda, such as the anniversary party in Amsterdam or TwitchCon 2024. According to NefasQS, not a single event was free of problems with the officials.
NefasQS particularly felt bad about the moment when he was forced by Senior Creator Engagement Manager Gina Bruno to end the stream during the ongoing stream at TwitchCon in San Diego. He describes it as a form of “public humiliation” that he had never experienced in this manner before.
Moreover, the increasingly rarer videos about ESO caused increasing frustration.
Although NefasQS had already reported several times about datamining leaks and always made it clear that he himself would not engage in datamining and that no one should spoil anyone with the leaks, after his video on the battlegrounds leaks, he was apparently confronted by a community manager claiming that he was tarnishing the hard work of the developers.
Later, it turned out that the community manager hadn’t even seen the video, but had only reacted to a report from the ESO community.
In the course of the video, NefasQS repeatedly shows video scenes or messages that support his claims. He reportedly withheld many other screenshots and evidence to protect the affected employees at ZeniMax. He does not want anyone to be fired because of these matters or for the community to initiate a boycott or a shitstorm.
How does the community react to the allegations? It is clear that the video from NefasQS is generating many reactions – for example, over 1,880 comments on YouTube or over 670 comments in this Reddit post.
sawmanUK seems to have had bad experiences as well (via YouTube): “A certain Richard Lambert described my content as ‘shock jock’ content… I also started collaborating with a number of other game studios afterward.”
PainInTheAxe is shocked (via YouTube): “It’s such a shame because you were always someone who really tried to make this game/this community great.”
Arttea can relate to the feeling of public humiliation (via YouTube): “The clip from San Diego was really tough – I was uncomfortable just watching it, and I wasn’t even there, so I can only imagine how you must have felt at that moment.”
General-Oven-1523 summarizes the case on Reddit as follows: “It’s really nothing interesting, just one of those so-called content creators who think they are the center of attention and realize that a company cares neither about them nor others.”
Ukonkilpi is also not on NefasQS’s side (via Reddit): “I don’t know the guy, but after this video, I get the impression that he is a narcissist who is incredibly difficult to work with and whose world always revolves around him.”
How do you evaluate the situation and the end of NefasQS’s ESO career? Can you understand that the streamer no longer wants to work with Bethesda and ZeniMax? Would you have liked to see the developers show more sensitivity at some points? Share your thoughts in the comments! What the future holds for ESO can be found here: Gold Road was the last chapter for Elder Scrolls Online, everything will be new from 2025
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In just one month, Call of Duty has lost over 145,000 players on Steam. That’s almost as many as the launch of Black Ops 6 has gained since its release in October 2024.
How many players does Call of Duty currently have? Call of Duty reached a peak of 192,000 simultaneous active players in December 2024. This includes the combined players from Modern Warfare 3, Warzone, and the new Black Ops 6.
The numbers come from the online database SteamDB, which shows the player counts of all games on Steam. Thus, players who are playing Call of Duty on console or through the Xbox Game Pass are not included.
In October 2024, when Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was released, the player count on Steam increased by about 94% – nearly 149,000 additional players joined. However, in December, the shooter lost nearly 123,000 players, which is almost half of the active player base on Steam.
Start video
TOP 10 Shooters in 2024 – for Veterans and Newcomers
After record release, frustration grows among many players
What is the situation with the game? According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Black Ops 6 was the most successful CoD release of all time and received mostly positive feedback upon release. However, many players are currently frustrated, and there are several reasons for this:
Now, many players seem to be turning their backs on the shooter on Steam for the time being. Under the post by CharlieIntel, players are discussing what the declining numbers mean and how to reverse the trend.
KLG Subonekd: “Warzone’s failure is complete. In a month, it has destroyed everything BO6 brought to the game. It’s time for Warzone to stand on its own and not be tied to main games anymore. It needs its own dedicated dev team, dev cycle, and support.”
ihatethecap: “Remove crossplay with PC, and the numbers for consoles will go up. Get either an anti-cheat, or do something. The content year after year cannot just be camo grind.”
LunchTime: “One would think that many new players would join in December/Christmas. This drop-off should worry CoD, hopefully enough to support their game.”
Although players spend most of their time fighting against computer-controlled enemies in Path of Exile 2, they often die unfairly because the enemies have unfair advantages.
How do the enemies cheat? A user on Reddit has now shared an extreme example. In his post, he shows a video where he gets taken out by enemies that are far outside of his screen.
In doing so, the character can hardly defend itself and is almost immediately defeated completely. You can watch the video clip here:
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There are several unfair deaths in Path of Exile 2, but the complaints from adventurers are likely due to the fact that characters in the predecessor could still effectively deal with enemies outside of their own screen.
This mechanic has been deliberately nerfed with PoE 2 to slow down the game. However, the enemies have not had this ability taken away. This violates the developers’ own rules, which state that the battle should take place on the screen, not off it.
You can watch the cinematic intro of Path of Exile 2 here:
Start video
This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
Trouble with unfair deaths
How does the community react to death? The community is angry, as the video shows something that many other users have experienced as well.
Probably_Not_Sir writes on Reddit: “The same rules should apply to monsters as to players. We can’t shoot over ledges, but they can. That’s incredibly harsh, in my opinion.”
Spirit_mert replies to him on Reddit: “It’s such terrible logic, I remember trying to hide behind a pillar-like object because I couldn’t shoot through it, but the monsters shoot right through it LOL. Makes zero sense, hopefully they’ll change it.”
E_N_I_GM_A reports a similar problem on Reddit: “And the minion resurrection types literally revive their minions from the other side of the map in less than a millisecond.”
Why is dying in PoE 2 so frustrating? When a player dies in Path of Exile 2, there are several negative consequences. Firstly, you lose 10% of the experience points for the current level, which can mean the loss of hours of progress for higher-level characters.
Additionally, players lose all items that are still on the ground when they die. For the Atlas system, the waypoint stone is destroyed and the map is sealed in the event of too many deaths, meaning you have to find another way. Especially with high-value maps, a defeat means losing a lot of currency.
Helldivers 2 was a major success for publisher Sony on Steam and PS5 in 2024. It is now clear how the brand will continue.
Why is Sony talking about Helldivers 2? The CES is one of the largest trade fairs for consumer electronics worldwide and provides many technology companies a platform to showcase their latest products and work. Sony has been a regular exhibitor there for many years, often taking the opportunity to display innovative products, such as the PS5 VR2, which they introduced in 2022.
This year, there were also some interesting announcements, especially regarding films and series.
Whether the film will look like the trailers of Helldivers 2 is still uncertain:
Start video
Helldivers 2 Announce Trailer PS5 PC
Helldivers 2 on the big screen
What is the next step for the brand? As Sony revealed in their presentation, the company is working with Sony Pictures on a film adaptation of Helldivers 2. The reason for this is likely provided by Asad Qizilbash, Head of PlayStation Productions.
In his announcement, he states that Helldivers 2 is “incredibly popular,” which is probably reason enough for Sony to produce the game as the next film adaptation. According to SteamDB, over 450,000 players were online on Steam at peak times. According to Sony’s financial report (via sony.com), Helldivers 2 sold over 12 million copies in 12 weeks since its release.
Previously, the media and technology company had also adapted games like Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Twisted Metal, and The Last of Us into films. Fans of the zombie series can also look forward to a new season starting in April 2025 in the USA.
Is there another film adaptation? Yes, not only Helldivers 2 is coming to the big screens. Horizon Zero Dawn is also set to receive a movie. After a failed attempt to bring the game as a series to Netflix, the company seems to be taking matters into their own hands and is working with Columbia Pictures on a film.
The film is expected to cover the origin story of the protagonist Aloy in the fallen futuristic world. Horizon Zero Dawn is just like Helldivers 2 one of Sony’s most popular titles. The game is probably so popular that the developers are planning a remastered version, but the fans didn’t seem interested: Sony announces the remaster of a hit for PS5, but many would rather have the original
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
13 years have passed since the release of the last “Harry Potter” movie. Now HBO wants to remake the famous story – this time as a series. Everything that is known about this project so far can be found here on MeinMMO.
Note: The article was updated on 26.03.2026 with new information about the release and the first teaser for the series.
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What kind of series is this? HBO, the company behind major series like Game of Thrones, is currently working on a new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series. It will start with the adaptation of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The new adaptation will be filmed with an entirely new cast. Whether there will be cameos from the film cast is currently unknown. But everything that is already certain can be read in this article.
Is there already a trailer? On 25.03.2026, the first teaser was presented, introducing us to the world of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:
Start video
The first teaser for the Harry Potter series takes us back to Hogwarts
Harry Potter as a Series: Start and Duration
When does the “Harry Potter” series start? Contrary to previous assumptions, the series will not start in 2027, but already on Christmas 2026. A specific date is not yet available.
How many seasons will there be? The series is expected to dedicate one season to each of the seven novels. Accordingly, there will likely be a total of seven seasons.
The entire series is planned to be released within 10 years, especially to keep the young actors at the right age. The first two seasons are expected to be produced together.
Where can you watch the series? In Germany, HBO Max has been available since January 2026. This is the streaming service of Warner Bros., where the series will be released at the end of 2026.
What will the series about Harry Potter be about? The recently released trailer features dedicated scenes from the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The first season will likely revolve around the plot of this book.
How close will the series be to the original? According to the creators of the series, it is supposed to stay true to the book source. Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max, promises in an interview a “faithful adaptation” of the books (via deadline): This new […] series will delve deep into each of the legendary books that fans have celebrated for all these years.
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros., revealed in an interview (via thewrap): We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world […]
What exactly this means and whether previously unadapted parts of the books will be considered is still unknown.
Harry Potter as a Series: Cast
Who are the new actors? The following cast members have already been announced:
The Golden Trio:
Harry Potter: Dominic McLaughlin
Ron Weasley: Alastair Stout
Hermione Granger: Arabella Stanton
Arabella Stanton (Hermione), Dominic McLaughlin (Harry) and Alastair Stout (Ron)
Gryffindor students:
Neville Longbottom: Rory Wilmot
Ginny Weasley: Gracie Cochrane
Fred Weasley: Tristan Harland
George Weasley: Gabriel Harland
Percy Weasley: Ruari Spooner
Seamus Finnigan: Leo Earley
Dean Thomas: Elijah Oshin
Parvati Patil: Alessia Leoni
Lavender Brown: Sienne Moosah
Angelina Johnson: Asha Soetan
Tristan Harland (Fred), Gabriel Harland (George), Ruari Spooner (Percy), Gracie Cochrane (Ginny) and Alastair Stout (Ron)
Slytherin students:
Draco Malfoy: Lox Pratt (Lord of the Flies)
Vincent Crabbe: Finn Stephens
Gregory Goyle: William Nash
Ravenclaw students:
Terry Boot: Aaron Zhao
Hogwarts staff:
Albus Dumbledore: John Lithgow (Dexter)
Minerva McGonagall: Janet McTeer (The Woman in Black)
Severus Snape: Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror, I May Destroy You, Black Doves)
Rubeus Hagrid: Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz)
Pomona Sprout: Sirine Saba
Quirinus Quirrell: Luke Thallon
Filius Flitwick: Warwick Davis (Harry Potter)
Cuthbert Binns: Richard Durden
Rolanda Hooch: Louise Brealey (Sherlock)
Argus Filch: Paul Whitehouse (Ghost Stories)
Poppy Pomfrey: Bríd Brennan
Nick Frost (Hagrid)Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick)
Muggles:
Vernon Dursley: Daniel Rigby (Black Mirror)
Petunia Dursley: Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl)
Dudley Dursley: Amos Kitson
Pier Polkiss: Mickey McAnulty
Others:
Molly Weasley: Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd)
Cornelius Fudge: Bertie Carvel
Lucius Malfoy: Johnny Flynn (Emma)
Garrick Ollivander: Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones)
Griphook: Leigh Gill
Will old actors return? For most roles, it is not an option to cast old actors. The release of the first film was already 23 years ago. Therefore, the actors are now too old for their former roles, or sadly have already passed away.
One exception is actor Warwick Davis. In the “Harry Potter” films, he played the role of Professor Filius Flitwick, the house teacher of Ravenclaw. This role will be reprised in the series, as announced in early September 2025.
Harry Potter as a Series: Showrunner, Director, Producers, Filming Location
The following people are involved behind the scenes in the new series.
Showrunner:
Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials)
Director (multiple episodes):
Mark Mylod (Succession, Game of Thrones, The Menu)
Producers:
J.K. Rowling (author of the book series)
David Heyman (all eight “Harry Potter” films, Fantastic Beasts)
Neil Blair (Fantastic Beasts)
Ruth Kenley-Letts (Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life)
What is the filming location of the new series? Just like the “Harry Potter” films, a large part of the new series will also be filmed in the “Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden” in London. Therefore, it might be that parts of the well-known sets are reused again.
In May 2025, it was also announced that filming has taken place in France, near the lighthouse “Tévennec”. This is likely to cover the scenes on the deserted island, where Harry ultimately learns about his magical abilities.
Many “Harry Potter” fans remain skeptical. Can the high expectations ever be met? Is a remake even necessary, despite generally successful film adaptations?
What do you think? Are you excited about the new series, or are you more critical about it? Feel free to let us know in the comments. If you’d rather watch the films, we have here for you all the films of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts in the ultimate ranking: All 11 films of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts ranked – Which is the best?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Many of the games from the series Squid Game would probably have also led the real actors to fail. One has now admitted that he had particular problems with one game – but it wasn’t the game itself, rather it was a physical characteristic.
Attention: The following article contains a spoiler for episode 5 of season 2 of Squid Game.
Which game did the actor have problems with? In episode 4 of Squid Game, the players learn that they must face five different children’s games known in Korea as a team of five. One of the games is the spinning top. In this game, a string is first wrapped around the top before it is quickly unwound and gains its spin.
In the episode, player 001 has trouble getting the top to spin. As the games must be completed within a certain time limit, the pressure on him increases. However, his teammates manage to calm him down, allowing them to win the game.
You can watch the trailer for season 2 of Squid Game here:
Start video
Squid Game Season 2 – Trailer for the release date of the Korean series
Actor uses the wrong hand in Squid Game
What difficulties did the actor face? There is another reason why player 001 suddenly gets the top to spin: In all his failed attempts, he was using his right hand. In fact, the player is left-handed, which is why the top starts spinning immediately when he uses his left hand to pull the string.
However, Lee Byung-hun, the actor portraying player 001, is right-handed in real life. So he had to improvise during the game and pretend to fail with his actually strong hand, as he reveals in a YouTube video from Netflix K-Content:
Here [in the spinning top game, editor’s note] is the problem I encountered. I am actually right-handed, but the Frontman in the series is left-handed. I was worried that I would make too many mistakes while turning the scene.
Unfortunately, the actor does not reveal how many attempts it ultimately took until the scenes were in the can. Whether Byung-hun did a good job and was able to convincingly play a left-hander despite being right-handed, you can see for yourself.
In the battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds, there will soon be AI partners that you can team up with. They can perform various tasks and provide real support – unlike some human teammates.
What are these AI partners?NVIDIA is currently working with the publisher of PUBG on PUBG Ally. This is an artificial intelligence that replaces a human team member in the shooter.
It is supposed to be capable of acting like a human and making realistic decisions. Additionally, the AI characters are supposed to see and hear like a human. This way, they can perceive their environment and react to it.
The AI’s capabilities are intended to surpass the normal behavior of previous AI NPCs and approach that of a human team member. It is even possible to chat with the AI partner and give them commands.
Here you can find a trailer for PUBG:
Start video
PUBG Battlegrounds – Cinematic Trailer
You will soon be able to give commands to AI partners in PUBG
What can the AI partners do? You can give your generated team member multiple tasks by chatting with them:
You can ask the AI partner to search for specific ammunition or equipment. The AI will look for this and ping you the location once it has found some.
If you are attacked by enemies, the AI can provide you with cover. They will also fire alongside you when you encounter enemy players.
If no vehicle is in sight, you can simply send your AI team member out. They will then scan the area and come back with the vehicle.
In combat, your AI partner can help you back on your feet, flank enemies, and do many other things you command them to do.
If the system works, it could have the advantage of having a reliable colleague on the team. How this will look in combat is demonstrated by NVIDIA with a new video on YouTube:
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When is the feature coming? So far, it is not yet known exactly when the AI partners will be added to PUBG. It is also unclear to what extent the performance of the AI members will factor into the ranking in ranking modes.
However, NVIDIA revealed that in the battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile (PC version), there will already be such AI partners starting in March 2025. The feature for the main version is expected to follow later. This suggests that it shouldn’t take long for the non-human members to be available in PUBG.
Also, inZOI, which will be released at the end of March 2025, there are expected to be NPCs referred to as “Smart Zoi.” However, they will probably not collect ammunition for you.
In Path of Exile 2, a professional player shared his conclusion one month after the game’s release. In his review, he claims that the developers have broken a promise.
Who is it about? DonTheCrown is a streamer and content creator for Path of Exile 2. According to his own statements, he already spent over 10,000 hours in the predecessor. In PoE2, he clocked in 350 hours within a month.
By now, the streamer has gained enough experience to provide his feedback on the ARPG. He also discusses the major issues with PoE2.
Do you already know this useful NPC in Path of Exile 2?
Start video
This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
Objective criticism of the major problems
What does DonTheCrown criticize? In a YouTube video, the streamer explains for over 20 minutes how he finds Path of Exile 2. During this, he also criticizes aspects that make the game unplayable for him and others at the moment.
The focus of his criticism is the loot. He finds it to be too much, in stark contrast to many other adventurers. While there was originally less loot, the developers quickly responded with an update and granted users more drops.
However, this makes loot filters increasingly important, especially when playing one’s character in the endgame. These filters do what the name suggests: they hide items, specifically those of little value. The most famous loot filter comes from a German developer.
The problem: there are no loot filters on consoles. They are only available on PC. DonTheCrown expresses his criticism as follows:
They [Editor’s note: The developers] said that PoE2 would solve the loot filter issue, claiming that we wouldn’t need a loot filter. When you talk to someone who plays on consoles, the game is practically unplayable in the endgame. All the loot is lying everywhere on the ground, and it’s absolutely crazy. I can’t see anything [there].
I have a very strict loot filter and I get a whole bunch of stuff that I probably don’t care about, so I feel like I have to spend a lot of time managing and clicking my loot. There are many things I would like to automatically collect.
According to the PoE veteran, the developers have thus broken the promise that loot filters wouldn’t be needed. But with all that loot, it would be difficult for him to keep track. Therefore, it cannot be said that loot filters are useless in PoE 2.
What else does he say about the ARPG? DonTheCrown looks at the ARPG with mixed feelings. He finds the campaign impressive, unlike the predecessor. However, he thought it was too long and doesn’t actually want to replay it.
He also sees a significant discrepancy between the boss fights. Some feel epic, while others simply require rolling behind the boss. He enjoys the Breach mechanic in the endgame, though it is also the only one that genuinely provides value.
With the skills, he appreciates the fresh breeze, but criticizes the lack of variety in builds due to the skills integrated into the weapons. This leads to both professionals and beginners often playing the same builds.
The streamer added in the comments under his video that he wants his criticisms to offer suggestions for improvement to the developers from Grinding Gear Games, in order to have the best possible and most successful version of Path of Exile 2 for the final release. The community is also currently giving their feedback on the game: Players are annoyed with Path of Exile 2 but simply cannot stop playing – So it goes for the ARPG after a month
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends, some changes will be introduced with the first season of 2025. A leading Twitch streamer for LoL is not pleased at all: He believes they remind too much of the Netflix series Arcane.
Who is this streamer? Marc “Caedrel” Roberts is the founder and coach of the LoL team Los Ratones, a kind of competitive content team consisting of professional players and influencers. He himself is also one of the largest streamers for the MOBA on Twitch (via SullyGnome).
In a stream on January 6, 2025, Caedrel criticized the changes that are supposed to come to LoL with Season 1 of 2025. He believes they are trying too hard to please the audience of the Netflix series Arcane.
Former German LoL Pro is Now One of the Most Successful Twitch Streamers – This is NoWay
Riot says the changes are for balancing
These changes are coming with Season 1: In a gameplay preview, Riot revealed in November what players can expect in 2025. This includes a revised ranked system, a new look for the Rift, and a changed teleport.
Instead of being transported to the desired target in the blink of an eye, the teleport will now visibly transport players across the map. According to Riot, this does not feel as bad as nerfing the cooldown or range and brings the ability into a “healthier” position to ensure long-term balancing in the game.
“Feels forced”
What bothers the streamer? However, Caedrel believes that the planned change has completely different reasons: “The new teleport is damn awful. I hate it. It feels like it was forced for Arcane. It feels like they are forcing this whole TP change for the series.”
The concerns of players like Caedrel can be summarized as: Riot could be changing LoL to meet the expectations of new players coming from Arcane. This was recently criticized during the rework of the champion Viktor. Players even demanded refunds.
The streamer believes: “Of course, they are targeting the audience of Arcane because they come from the series to play the game. Sure, you can buff all heroes from Arcane, but this hexgate TP crap is so dumb.”
The new look of the map also displeases the streamer, who thinks it looks simply terrible.
We can expect to learn how the changes will affect gameplay and what the broader player base has to say on January 9, 2025, when patch 25.S1.1 goes live.
In Naruto, some characters appear with the powerful eye jutsu Sharingan. In an interview, the author Masashi Kishimoto explains that he was inspired by a play.
What is Sharingan? Sharingan in Naruto is one of the three great eye techniques alongside the Byakugan and the Rinnegan. Additionally, it is a Kekkei Genkai, an inherited ability that is generally reserved for the members and relatives of the Uchiha clan. Members of this family can awaken the Sharingan, but this is not guaranteed.
The Sharingan turns the iris of the respective user blood red upon activation. Depending on the level of awakening, it has one to three so-called Tomoe, points with tapering tails. In its most powerful variant, the Mangekyou Sharingan, each user receives a unique symbol.
The fundamental applications include copying abilities or movements. It can also analyze the chakra flow of other people. Moreover, it allows the owner to activate illusion jutsu merely through eye contact. The powerful Mangekyou grants the user additionally overwhelming abilities, such as the inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu or powerful illusions via Tsukuyomi.
One of the most powerful Sharingan users is Sasuke Uchiha. Here he stands with Naruto against the adversary Momoshiki:
Start video
Boruto: Naruto and Sasuke fight Momoshiki
Inspiration from Theater
What inspired Kishimoto? In an interview for the release of the film The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto discussed an inspiration for the powerful Sharingan. Specifically, it comes from the Kabuki play Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari (translated approximately to The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya).
The protagonist here is the namesake Jiraiya, who has an eye called Sharingan. Jiraiya also made it into the Naruto manga – as Naruto’s powerful teacher.
Unfortunately, the original interview is no longer available on YouTube. However, the transcript can still be read via Naruto.fandom.com.
In the interview, Kishimoto further explains that he took the concept of Sharingan from the play and gave it as blood inheritance to the Uchiha clan. He intended to build up Kakashi’s own Sharingan as a great mystery. This was only resolved years later with Kakashi Gaiden: The Naruto manga started in 1999, while the resolution in Gaiden was only told from the end of 2004.
How does Sharingan develop throughout Naruto? Especially at the beginning of the story, Kekkei Genkai are very rare. Only Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake use it and thus stand in focus of envious adversaries like Orochimaru. Later, Sasuke’s brother Itachi appears, who can use very powerful jutsu partly through Sharingan.
Especially after the time skip, more and more Sharingan users appear, including Danzo Shimura, as well as Shisui, Madara, and Obito Uchiha. While the Uchiha have awakened their Sharingan, Danzo stands out in particular because he shamelessly implanted the eyes of deceased Uchiha clan members into his arm.
By the way, MeinMMO has recently published several power rankings for Naruto. Included is also one for the members of the Uchiha clan. If you want to know who can use their Sharingan best, read more here: Naruto: The 7 strongest members of the Uchiha clan ranked
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
You want to buy a gaming keyboard but don’t know what to look for? MeinMMO explains all the special features of keyboards and tells you what to pay attention to.
Next to the mouse, the keyboard is one of the most important tools you need in your daily computer use. However, there are now a whole bunch of options available when you want to buy a keyboard.
MeinMMO explains what to consider when choosing and buying a gaming keyboard. We’ll cover the basic points without going into extreme detail.
Basically, you need to decide before buying what kind of technology you want under the keys. Because this ultimately determines the feel, responsiveness, and volume of the keyboard.
Mechanical switches: The best-known switches under the keys. Depending on your needs, there are now very different types available. In total, there are three important types you should know:
Linear, fast switches without resistance (red).
Tactile switches, where you feel and hear resistance with each press (blue).
Mix switches that aim to combine the best of both worlds (brown).
In addition, there are many proprietary products from various manufacturers. Razer, for example, with its “Green Switches” or Akko with its Cream Yellow Switches, which feel linear. It should be noted that there can be subtle differences depending on the manufacturer. The feel, linear without resistance and tactile with resistance, remains the same with slight variations. Most proprietary products are based on the three known types.
Membrane switches/Rubber dome: This technology relies on a rubber membrane in the keyboard on which the keys sit. When the membrane is pressed together, the electrical contact that registers the key press is transmitted to the computer.
Some manufacturers are now trying to combine the rubber dome technology with the precision of mechanical switches. Membrane technology is very inexpensive and is considered less precise than mechanical.
Scissor switches: This technology uses a scissor mechanism under each key to allow for smooth, short travel. They feature a flat keycap arrangement and are very thin. Scissor switches are often used in laptop keyboards.
Low-profile switches: Low-profile switches are characterized by a low height. Both the switches and keycaps are noticeably lower than those of normal keyboards, allowing the keyboards to be made very flat. Keyboards with low-profile switches are generally more ergonomic than keyboards with high keycaps.
The Logitech G515 (Lightspeed) is a low-profile keyboard.
Optical switches: Detect key presses using an infrared light beam that is interrupted when a key is pressed. They offer extremely fast response times comparable to those of mechanical switches. Optical switches also have the advantage of no mechanical friction inside the key. This makes the switches more durable than typical mechanical ones.
Magnetic switches: Currently the fastest switches on the market, but relatively expensive. Magnetic switches support modern functions such as Dynamic Keystroke (DKS) and Rapid Trigger (RT).
Hotswap: Hotswap is not a type of switch, but a design feature of the keyboard. If a keyboard is hotswap-capable, you can swap out the installed switches for other switches: either when switches are broken or because you want different switches on your keyboard.
If a keyboard is not hotswap-capable, the switches are usually soldered to the keyboard’s circuit board and are not replaceable.
Material of the keycaps
ABS: The acronym ABS stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. You will find ABS keycaps mainly in inexpensive keyboards, but also in expensive models. Even manufacturers like Logitech or Razer have long used cheap ABS keycaps in high-end keyboards. ABS keycaps have the disadvantage of quickly looking smudged and dirty. This makes new keyboards appear dirty and grimy after just a few days.
PBT: PBT is the acronym for Polybutylene Terephthalate. PBT keycaps are of higher quality than ABS. In addition, PBT keycaps have a rough surface that does not become smooth or shiny with use.
In the German-speaking world, however, there is only a very limited selection of PBT keycaps. Some third-party manufacturers have specialized in offering PBT keycaps for German keyboards.
Double-Shot and Dye-Sublimation: These are not keycap materials, but rather the methods by which keycaps are printed:
Double-shot keycaps consist of two layers, one for the labeling and the other for the rest of the keycap – hence the “double” in the name.
Dye-sublimation is a printing process in which the labeling is transferred to the PBT material with the help of dye, heat, and pressure.
Lighting of the keyboard
Gaming keyboards focus on lighting the keys or the keyboard in general. Nevertheless, there are a few subtle differences you should pay attention to:
Pure backlighting: The keyboard lights up, but the keys and their labeling do not.
Single color: The keys light up in a single color. You will mainly find this type in very inexpensive products.
Zone RGB: Each key can be illuminated in practically any color using RGB LEDs under each key.
RGB for each key: The RGB backlighting goes a step further, allowing each individual key to be illuminated in its own color.
Essentially, you should pay attention to what kind of lighting you prefer before buying. Pure backlighting may look stylish, but in the dark, you won’t be able to read the labeling anymore. Usually, you can also change the type of lighting in the software, if the keyboard allows it.
In some cases, you can buy translucent keycaps, then pure backlighting will also become an RGB keyboard.
Form Factor
One of the most important decisions you need to make when buying a keyboard is the form factor because this cannot be changed later. Unless you buy a new keyboard. While with some keyboards – thanks to hotswap technology – you can change the switches, you are committed to the keyboard’s form factor.
1800 Layout: Keyboards with 1800 layout are particularly large and offer more keys than the conventional full-size format. However, such keyboards are relatively rare.
Full-Size: The official full format of keyboards. Here you get a complete keyboard with a number pad and numerous extra keys. Typically, a full-size format consists of 104 keys.
Tenkeyless (TKL): Tenkeyless is smaller compared to full-size, as it lacks the number pad on the right side. Typically, TKL consists of 87 keys.
75%: Keyboards of this type are somewhat reminiscent of TKL keyboards, but there can be a few fewer keys. Usually, you have between 83 and 87 keys. There is no number pad here either.
Mini (60%): 60% keyboards are even more compact than TKL and 75%. This design usually omits the function keys (F keys) and often also the arrow keys. In some cases, the arrow keys are available, but then other keys may be missing. On a 60%-keyboard, you will find 62 keys.
40%: The currently smallest layout also omits the number keys at the top of the keyboard, the space bar is often significantly shortened, and arrow keys are also missing. The 40% format is rather rare.
All important keyboard sizes compared
Keyboard Layout
When buying a keyboard, you need to pay attention to which layout you are getting. Because the layout determines the arrangement of keys on the keyboard:
ISO: A keyboard layout that occurs almost everywhere with variations in Europe. The British, the Swedes, and also the Germans use the ISO layout.
ANSI: The international or American key layout. Typically, the Enter key is noticeably shorter, and some keys (like the Shift key) are arranged differently.
Basically, you can also use a keyboard with ANSI layout in Germany, but it takes some getting used to. PBT keycaps are significantly more available for the ANSI layout than for the German ISO-DE layout.
Some manufacturers, including Razer, also offer German keycaps for the ANSI layout.
The Razer Cynosa uses the ANSI-US layout: The Enter key is smaller and other keys are also differently structured. Umlauts are also missing but can be added later.
Wrist rest: Depending on the height and size of the keyboard, a wrist rest can be worthwhile. Ideally, one is already included with your keyboard. Otherwise, you can buy wrist rests separately for a small price. However, when purchasing, pay attention to getting the right size for your keyboard.
USB passthrough: You can connect USB devices to your keyboard, and the signals are then forwarded to your PC through your keyboard. Your keyboard then functions somewhat like a USB hub.
Media keys: They are usually practical if you want to control certain things directly via the keyboard instead of through the Windows menus. They are not mandatory for a purchase but are often very practical.
Wired vs Wireless
Wired: If you use a wired keyboard, you don’t have to worry about battery life. Wired keyboards are also cheaper than wireless models. However, the downside is that you need to manage the cable of your keyboard. Some keyboards offer an option to detach the cable for transport.
Wireless: With a wireless keyboard, you are more flexible than with a wired keyboard. Additionally, your desk looks much neater without cables. Wireless models are generally more expensive than wired variants, and you are dependent on battery life.
Latency is almost no longer an issue with wireless keyboards, especially with manufacturers like Razer (Hyperspeed) or Logitech (Lightspeed).
The Logitech G Pro X TKL is an example of a wireless gaming keyboard.
Budget
An important factor when buying a keyboard is the budget: you need to be clear about how much you want to spend on your new gaming keyboard. Depending on your budget, you will get different technology or features:
Under 50 Euro: For little money, you normally get membrane keyboards and very cheap mechanical keyboards. Especially in terms of build quality and software, you will have to make compromises here.
Up to 100 Euro: 100 Euros is for many gamers the sweet spot for how much they want to spend on hardware. For around 100 Euros, you can already get decent keyboards with plenty of features. Even in the 100 Euro range, you already get PBT keycaps and hotswap technology. Depending on the manufacturer, however, you may have to make compromises regarding build quality and/or software.
Up to 200 Euro: Between 100 and 200 Euros, you will mainly find keyboards that use optical or magnetic switches. Additionally, wireless keyboards usually cost more than 100 Euros.
More than 200 Euro: In general, you get the same hardware as under 200 Euros, but you often get additional features: built-in OLED displays, extra keys or software features, a lot of accessories, and high-quality workmanship (like an aluminum keyboard frame).
How much should one spend on a gaming keyboard? For a good gaming keyboard, you should budget between 100 and 150 Euros. For this budget, you already get decent build quality and key switches that can impress. If you want to spend more, often you get only a better build quality and a few additional features, which may not be strictly necessary.
More about keyboards: One manufacturer sells a gaming keyboard for the equivalent of 750 euros. But what do you get for that much money? After all, with that money, you can also get a PS5 with games or a small gaming PC: There is a mechanical keyboard for 750 euros – Why is it so expensive?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer shroud donates money for charity at a big event on Twitch. After a short time, he has raised over 50,000 euros in the donation account.
Who is it about?
The Twitch streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is known for his gifted aim. For many genre fans, he is considered a kind of shooter god because he shoots with above-average precision in every shooter.
Before shroud became successful as a streamer, he was a professional esports player in Counter-Strike. There he played for Cloud9, among others.
On Twitch, shroud now has 11.1 million followers and entertained an average of 13,200 viewers simultaneously in the past 6 months (via Sullygnome).
Currently, shroud enjoys playing the new hero shooter Marvel Rivals:
Start video
Marvel Rivals Season 0: The Official Trailer for Doom’s Rise
Gaming for a good cause
What kind of charitable action is this? Shroud started a new event on Twitch on January 5, which he calls the “Fragathon”. For every elimination he achieves in a shooter during the streams in January, he donates money. The dollar-per-kill multiplier can be increased through Twitch subs and donations.
As early as January 6, the second day of the event, the donation account was around 50,000 euros. At that time, the dollar-per-kill multiplier increased to 5x.
Meanwhile, shroud’s donation account is about 83,000 US dollars, which is almost 80,000 euros (as of January 7, 2025, 11:00 AM). The kill counter in shroud’s stream shows about 11,900 eliminations.
Since January still has a few days left and shroud wants to stream every day, the amount in the donation account is expected to rise significantly.
What is the money being donated for? Shroud mentioned in the announcement video of the event that he lost his father to lung cancer in 2023 and he wants to support people in similar situations with the money.More about the event and the role other streamers play can be found here: Shooter legend shroud plays for a good cause, donating money for every kill
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
One of the best players of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 unintentionally proves that the aim assist is way too strong.
Who is it about? Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro is a professional “Call of Duty” player who plays for Team OpTic.
With OpTic, Shotzzy became the world champion in Call of Duty in 2024 and was awarded MVP (most valuable player). Before his time with OpTic, Shotzzy was with the “Dallas Empire” team, with which he also became world champion in Call of Duty in 2020. In 2018, he was also world champion in Halo.
Shotzzy is currently considered one of the best CoD players and is distinguished by exceptionally good aim and movement – at least when he holds a controller in his hands.
Start video
CoD Black Ops 6: Prestige explained – Is it worth it?
CoD world champion is not as successful with mouse and keyboard as he thought
What happened to the world champion? Shotzzy played Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with mouse and keyboard in a Twitch stream last weekend.
Normally, the eSports player primarily uses a controller, but he wanted to prove that aim is not the most important thing in CoD and boasted: “This will be the proof that game understanding is more important than anything else.”
However, things did not go well for the multi-time world champion, and he lost one gunfight after another. Shortly after, he remarked in surprise: “I feel like I only have one kill… I am not trolling.”
“Oh my God, this stuff is actually annoying, man,” the eSports player complained at the end of the round in an irritated tone.
After the stream, he also deleted the video recording of the broadcast from his channel. This is rather unusual for Shotzzy. Most of his stream recordings remain online days or weeks later and often have over 200,000 views (via Twitch).
However, that is not a problem at all, as you can see a clip that summarizes the whole situation on TikTok:
What is the deal with the aim assist? The aim assist in Call of Duty has been a hot topic within the community for years. For controller players, it is nearly essential, but mouse and keyboard players hate it because it is very strong.
The aim assist is a targeting aid that only controller players can use and automatically pulls a player’s crosshair towards an opponent.
In the eSports scene of Call of Duty, the aim assist has been indispensable for years. Accordingly, the best players of the shooter play with a controller and use the aim assist in their daily routine, including Shotzzy.
However, when Shotzzy wanted to prove that game understanding is more important than good aim, he proved the opposite for part of the community. Once he played with mouse and keyboard and no longer had aim assist available, he lost all gunfights. And this, despite the fact that every shooter player knows that theoretically, it is easier to hit an opponent precisely with a mouse than with a stick on a controller.
A new shooter has been released with Project Tower on Steam and PS5. In it, you fight your way out of an alien prison, taking on the form of your tormentors.
What kind of game is this? Project Tower is a shooter with bullet-hell battles similar to Returnal. In contrast, however, Project Tower is not a roguelike, but a linear action-adventure. The game aims to tell a dark sci-fi story.
You can see the launch trailer here:
Start video
Project Tower: Launch Trailer for the Sci-Fi Shooter on Steam and PS5
On the run from aliens, you become one yourself
What is Project Tower about? The remnants of humanity are under the yoke of the Hiks, an extraterrestrial species. As a prisoner, you participate in the eponymous “Project Tower,” which is supposed to bring you freedom. However, to achieve this, you must fight your way to the top of a tower.
On your way up, alien creatures will block your path, which you can even transform into thanks to your morph ability. Thus, you can crawl through small openings as an alien worm or choose a form that deals more damage.
In boss battles, the battlefield becomes a bullet hell: enemies fire a multitude of projectiles that you must skillfully dodge. These battles already look well staged and offer a considerable challenge in the trailer.
How is the shooter being received so far? Project Tower currently has very few reviews on Steam. Overall, the game is rated “positive,” although there is still room for improvement.
The melee combat is said to feel really good, while firearms are still lacking that punch
The morphing is a cool unique feature, although many forms differ only in a few aspects
The story is highlighted positively by many, but with around 5 hours of gameplay, it is relatively short
Where can I get the game? Project Tower was released on January 6, 2025, for PC on Steam and on PS5 and costs €24.50 for PC and €24.99 on PS5. Until January 13, there is a 20% discount on Steam, where you can also find a free demo of the game.
Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) can take on not only simple tasks but also complex leadership roles, like his own.
What did the Klarna CEO say? In December 2024, Sebastian Siemiatkowski commented in an interview with Bloomberg TV (via Bloomberg) about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in his company Klarna. He explained that the company had ceased actively hiring new employees about a year ago because “AI can already take over all tasks.”.
Klarna is a Swedish fintech company that offers “Buy Now, Pay Later” services and is criticized for its business model, as it could lead young consumers into debt through easy lending (via derStandard).
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On January 6, 2025, Siemiatkowski then published a post on the platform X (formerly Twitter), where he clarified his previous statements: “I am aware that my statement ‘AI can already take over all our jobs’ has caused a stir. Let me clarify: ‘Let me explain and elaborate what I mean’.”.
He further argued that the decisive breakthrough in AI is the ability to reason. This enables machines to handle simple logical tasks almost flawlessly, which forms the basis of complex problem-solving:
“Complex problems can be solved through advanced reasoning and stored knowledge. This advanced reasoning is merely a combination of simpler, fundamental tasks.”.
Source: https://x.com/klarnaseb
He drew a historical comparison: In 1700, humans would theoretically have been able to build cars or rockets, but did not yet have the necessary knowledge. Similarly, AI could theoretically take on all tasks today, but the exact process of implementation is still not fully resolved. However, he does not provide concrete evidence for his statements, which should therefore be viewed with caution.
How does Klarna use AI? Klarna has already integrated AI deeply into its workflows. Last year, the company reduced its workforce by 22% to about 3,500 employees. According to Bloomberg, about 200 employees now share core tasks with AI solutions that were previously handled by hundreds of staff (via Bloomberg).
Klarna aims to directly pass on the efficiency gains from AI to its employees. CEO Siemiatkowski recently stated in the Bloomberg interview: We will pass on some of the efficiency gains that AI brings by increasing our employees’ salaries.
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“We have created a monster” – A Spanish model earns up to 10,000 euros a month, yet she is not real
The community reacts annoyed
What does the Reddit community say about it? In the Technology thread on Reddit, Siemiatkowski’s statements are already being hotly debated, with the community particularly critical of the motives behind the Klarna CEO’s remarks.
Here are the main criticisms summarized:
User thepostmanpat writes in the Reddit thread: “As the Financial Times recently highlighted in one of its articles, he says this only to praise AI, as Klarna is in a difficult financial situation despite some investments in AI and the dismissal of numerous employees.”.
User jus-de-orange writes in the Reddit thread: And one of Klarna’s venture capitalists is a major shareholder in the profit-driven branch of OpenAI. OpenAI powers Klarna’s AI-driven internal solutions.
User KikoSoujirou writes in the Reddit thread: Yes, I really believe they are lying through their teeth and using it as an excuse to fire people to try to stay financially stable, but realistically, they are not producing the same amount of work/output and their product/feature timelines have gone down the drain.
From the Reddit thread, it becomes clear that such statements have become almost everyday occurrences. Many users are annoyed by the constant exaggerations with which companies seek attention. This is a classic example of polarization:
In marketing, polarization means intentionally using provocative or controversial statements to gain attention and highlight the brand more strongly. This strategy often generates a lot of buzz – similar to political polarization, where similar tactics are used (via NIM).
Is the CEO right?
Can AI really take over leadership positions? The question of whether AI is capable of taking on the complex tasks of a CEO is being controversially discussed. Siemiatkowski sees great potential in the reasoning capabilities of technology: AI could make decisions, develop strategies, and implement company policies in a fraction of the time that humans would need.
The industry magazine Fortune has asked experts whether AI is actually capable of replacing CEOs. Imad Riachi, CEO of the consulting company Honu, believes that AI could soon work faster and more effectively than humans. According to Riachi, AI could soon evaluate business performance, analyze millions of scenarios, and develop strategies – and do so in a fraction of the time that humans would need.
He told Fortune: “The unprecedented scope of AI’s decision-making authority requires executives to better understand their capabilities.”
Other experts, such as Akash Nigam, CEO of the AI company Genies, are more skeptical. He explained that while AI has made impressive progress, it still lacks key traits such as emotional intelligence, adaptability, and real leadership skills (yet). The extent to which complex (i.e., human) and especially emotionally intelligent thinking can be executed by artificial intelligences is unclear.
Marvel Rivals had a good start with its launch and enjoyed over 400,000 simultaneous players on Steam. With Season 1, they are now receiving the first major content update with a wealth of new content.
What’s new in Season 1? Season 1 has the theme Eternal Night Falls and brings a new setting with characters and enemies. The developers announced the following new features in a YouTube video:
new Battle Pass
new characters: Fantastic Four
new game mode: Doom Match
new Convoy map and two new regular maps
Further down we will explain the new features in detail.
Here you can watch the launch trailer for Marvel Rivals:
Start video
Marvel Rivals: The launch trailer for the shooter featuring Marvel superheroes on PS5 and Steam
These are the new features in Season 1
How long does Season 1 last? Season 1 lasts three months and is divided into two halves, each lasting six to seven weeks. This season is double the size of what a season usually offers in Marvel Rivals.
Characters and Game Mode
In the first half, starting from January 10, 2025, you can look forward to the following:
Character: Mister Fantastic
Character: Invisible Woman
Arcade game mode: Doom Match
Empire of Eternal Night: Sanctum Sactorum
The contents of the other half will be made public at a later date. The developers also say that at the end of Season 1, there will be a total of 37 characters that you can play.
What new maps are there? In addition to the new map Empire of Eternal Night: Sanctum Sactorum, these two maps will also be added:
Empire of Eternal Night: Midtown
Empire of Eternal Night: Central Park
Battle Pass
You can buy the Season 1 luxury battle pass for 990 Lattice and you will receive 600 Lattice and 600 Units back when you complete the battle pass. The best part: The battle pass never expires, so you can take your time completing it.
Leaderboards
At the start of Season 1, the leaderboards will be reset to allow all players a fresh start. The “new” placements will be adjusted to match the placements from Season 0. A player with, for example, Platinum 1 will be downgraded to Silver 2.
With these plans, Marvel Rivals poses a strong competition to Overwatch. Especially with the many additional heroes, Overwatch currently cannot keep up.
In 2023 and 2024, Overwatch has only added three new heroes each year, while Marvel Rivals introduces four new heroes at the beginning of this year in its first season.
Adjustments to Heroes
Some heroes are superior to others, so they need to be adjusted. The exact adjustments will be announced later, but here is a rough summary:
Hela and Hawkeye will be nerfed, as they are superior to others of the ranged fighters.
Heroes who play the vanguard, like Captain America and Venom, will receive a boost to protect their allies.
Strategists like Wolverine and Storm will be strengthened to give individual strategies an advantage in battles.
Path of Exile 2 was released about a month ago and the community is now taking stock of the game. They describe the love-hate relationship they experience while playing.
How is Path of Exile 2 doing? The ARPG, which launched on December 6, 2024, in Early Access on Steam and PS5, is still doing exceptionally well one month after its release. On Steam, PoE2 still reaches player peaks of over 330,000 concurrently active players (via SteamDB).
In the Steam Store, the game ranks 3rd among the best-selling products, just behind the Steam Deck at 2nd place and Counter-Strike 2 at 1st place. However, the community’s reactions are mixed. While many love the grind of the ARPG and can’t get enough of it, others are troubled by the issues.
Here you can see the action-packed intro of Path of Exile 2:
Start video
Path of Exile 2: The Cinematic Intro of the Greatest Diablo Competitor
The Love-Hate of Path of Exile 2
How are players receiving the ARPG? Although PoE2 continues to enjoy great popularity, many players have developed a sort of love-hate relationship with the title. This is due to many small and larger problems that the game currently has.
On Reddit, the community is now gathering their impressions of the game, one month after the release.
Synraak describes the situation of players on Reddit: “It’s a great game that still needs work. Congrats to GGG.” GGG stands for the developers of PoE2: Grinding Gear Games.
Also, characterulio rates Path of Exile 2 on Reddit: “Yes, it’s better than most games and it’s not even finished yet.”
The user K0LD504 replies to him on Reddit: “Games are never finished these days. I do agree with you, though.”
googeisha also shares his opinion on Reddit: “Well said, I’m annoyed by the crap but can’t stop playing.”
The game feels good for many players, even though it is still incomplete and in development. The grind, looting, and leveling are simply fun for players, even though some things mar their gaming experience.
What problems bother the community? It’s the small things that seem to be bothering gamers in the ARPG. In the Reddit thread, users list many of the problems. Path of Exile 2 was released in Early Access. Many players criticize this because content is missing and the available content often feels unfinished.
An example of this is some playstyles that only have few available skills that make sense. Many play the same meta-build to have a chance in the endgame.
The high difficulty level is also not welcome by everyone. Frequent deaths annoy some players in the community. Additionally, it is often unclear what caused their death, as DesertGoldfish points out on Reddit. The armor system as a defensive mechanic is also criticized for appearing less efficient than other stats.
The community is thus plagued by many different, often small problems that mar the gaming experience in the otherwise popular ARPG. Although players have to live with the issues, they still love the unfinished game and can’t stop playing it. The economy is also a sore point for many players. Fraudsters are targeting unsuspecting players in Path of Exile 2 – New game, old tricks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Players often report negative experiences in the mythic keystone dungeons of World of Warcraft. However, the good-vibes story of a WoW player shows that it can also be very different.
What happened to the dungeon group? WoW player xehparr reports on Reddit that he recently had a great time with a new group that rocked the mythic keystone dungeons together. That alone would be a nice story, as community platforms too often feature reports full of frustration and negative examples.
Perhaps it is also because the good-vibe story of xehparr is not yet finished at this point. His post also shows the screenshot of a gift that the healer of the group sent to some of their companions after the successful runs.
Another heartwarming story from the World of Warcraft community:
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The Fantastic Life of Ibelin – Trailer for the Emotional Documentary about a Story from the WoW Community
What kind of gift is it? The gift is the paid shop mount Gold-trimmed Trader Brutosaur, which costs a whopping 78 euros per purchase and comes with two helpful NPCs that provide access to the mailbox and the auction house.
Since xehparr writes that the tank of the group should also have received the mount, the healer has spent at least 156 euros on her thank-you gift. This wonderful gesture is accompanied by the following text:
“Thank you for being a great teammate and a wonderful gaming partner 🙂 Also Merry Christmas, happy birthday, and whatever else there is. Have fun!”
How does the community react? The community celebrates the beautiful experience of the WoW player with almost 6,000 upvotes and over 170 comments.
-Undercover-Nerd writes on Reddit: “Your healer is a saint, seriously. Not many people would go out of their way to sweeten someone’s day like that.”
lumberingox raves on Reddit: “I am incredibly envious, not because of the mount, but because of the connections you’ve made in the game. I think that’s why I don’t love WoW anymore – just not enough interaction or friendships to keep me.”
bugsy42 has unfortunately had different experiences (via Reddit): “Damn, congratulations. I should start being more social in this game, good grief. Every time I random queue, I just get insults. :D”
DomDangerous can’t believe it (via Reddit): “She’s already playing the most exhausting role, and then she’s also the giver? Damn, what a treasure.”
